Accidents
Maker of Defective Rotor Pin Agrees to $10M Settlement
A defective rotor pin triggered the 2021 fatal crash of a Bell 212 in Canada resulting in a worldwide fleet grounding.
Crash site photo of Yellowhead Helicopters Bell 212 main rotor blade A Strap and failed hub strap retaining pin
A defective rotor pin triggered the 2021 fatal crash of a Bell 212 in Canada resulting in a worldwide fleet grounding. (Photo: Transportation Safety Board of Canada)

The manufacturer of a defective main rotor component linked to the 2021 fatal crash of a Bell 212 in Canada has agreed to settle a related civil suit for $10 million. Fore Aero of Haltom City, Texas, manufactured the main rotor hub strap retaining pin on the first blade assembly of the accident helicopter. The pin failed after only 20 hours time in service, causing the entire main rotor assembly to separate from the helicopter in flight and killing the pilot, who was the sole occupant. 

An investigation by Canada’s Transportation Safety Board found that the pin was made from weaker steel than specified by the helicopter’s OEM and that resulted in the “catastrophic failure of the main rotor assembly,” according to Dallas aviation attorney Ladd Sanger, who served as co-counsel in the suit filed on behalf of the pilot's family.

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